An album featuring photos of late Atenean student-athlete Rene Baterbonia, which cost P2,000, drew criticism online after his mother began selling copies of the collection.
Rovelyn Baterbonia posted a Facebook Reel showing herself signing photo albums featuring her son.
One Filipino who obtained a copy shared photos of the album, which contains full-color images of Rene, both alone and with other people.
Some Filipinos questioned the decision to sell the albums, saying they felt the initiative did not allow Rene’s soul to “rest in peace.”
The album reportedly costs P2,000, a price some found steep compared with official merchandise from artists.
“P2,000 daw ‘tong album na ‘to. Panis ang PBB love teams,” an X user quipped with crying emojis, referring to “Pinoy Big Brother.”
₱2000 daw ‘tong album na ‘to. Panis ang PBB love teams. 😭 pic.twitter.com/ucqhDxkER9
— 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓁𝓎 | 📦🍅 (@carliyeigh) September 15, 2026
Rovelyn is also selling T-shirts featuring her son’s image and a QR Code. She said the shirits cost P1,000.
But wait theres more…
“Tshirt na may QR code 1 Kee po.”- Rovelyn Baterbonia pic.twitter.com/rnk4Vie4W3— Ari Yuson (@arriyuson) September 16, 2026
Such initiatives concerned some Filipinos, who felt that Rene’s mother was not allowing him to “rest in peace” after what happened to him.
“Ang weird niyo, jusko, will he really be at peace if y’all keep on doing this? May nanay pang pinagperahan lang ‘yung namamayapa niyang anak,” an online user wrote.
“Sobrang disrespectful lang kasi hanggang ngayon breadwinner pa rin si Rene,” another commented.
“No parent should experience burying their child. I understand that people heal from grief differently, but I didn’t expect they’d be exploiting his death. I was honestly hoping they’ll continue to seek justice [and] urge our lawmakers to make laws that’d protect student-athletes,” a different Pinoy wrote.
“Everything that came after his death has been so weird. His family, his friends… they’re treating him like he’s just some sob story they can infinitely financially profit from. It’s the kind of thing you can’t look at except [with] distaste,” another wrote.
Before Rene’s passing, his mother sold keychains featuring his photos and signature to help support their family.
She has since also sold merchandise featuring the student-athlete’s images, including T-shirts and jerseys. Some of the items have drawn comments from Filipinos who questioned their prices.
RELATED: ‘K-pop-level price?’: Pinoys weigh in on Rene Baterbonia merchandise prices
Rovelyn has denied capitalizing on her son’s death, saying their family had already been selling merchandise when Rene was still alive to help cover their expenses.
“Gusto ko lang po ipaalam sa lahat po ng nagsasabing pinagkakaperahan ko ang anak ko. Buhay pa po man siya, nagbebenta na po kami ng jersey at kabilin-bilinan niya dati pa, para may pandagdag sa gastusin ng aming pamillya,” she said in a previous statement.
Rene was among the student-athletes who drowned after being swept away by waves in Dipacula, Aurora, in June during a water exercise activity initiated by then-Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin.
The other student-athlete was Nigerian import Divine Adili, who helped Ateneo make an impressive start to UAAP Season 88.
